Man City failed to score on five previous trips to the Tottenham Hotspur StadiumThey finally broke their goal drought with Nathan Ake's 88th-minute winnerWhy Jurgen Klopp quit and who Liverpool should go for now - Listen to It's All Kicking Off
Man City and Pep Guardiola finally ended their Tottenham hoodo after Nathan Ake netted their first ever goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
City had never scored at Spurs’ new ground, losing all five of their previous games there dating back to 2018, with several misses and much drama attached to their drought, which had included more than 100 shots.
They had failed to break the deadlock in their FA Cup fourth round clash on Friday evening after having 17 attempts and it looked set to be a familiar story.
However, in the 88th minute, a Kevin de Bruyne corner caused chaos.
And when, Guglielmo Vicario failed to deal with the Belgian’s inswinging delivery, the ball bounced off Micky Van de Ven and Nathan Ake was there to prod home, sparking jubilant scenes in the away end.
Nathan Ake ended Man City and Pep Guardiola’s hoodoo at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Ake prodded home after a corner from Kevin de Bruyne caused chaos in Tottenham’s box
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City had previously played for more than nine hours at Spurs’ stadium without scoring.
This included a 1-0 Champions League defeat in 2019, a 2-0 loss in the Premier League in February 2020, another 2-0 defeat in November that year, a 1-0 reverse in August 2021 and a 1-0 loss in February last year.
Speaking ahead of the game, Guardiola admitted he struggled to understand why their form has been so poor in north London.
‘It happened at White Hart Lane – not just this stadium,’ he said.
‘We play good – but not able to win. It’s happened many times but hopefully we can break it.
‘Spurs are exceptional, since Mauricio Pochettino was manager. Always you think “why are they not able to be there in the last stages of the Champions League?”‘
Ake’s goal was enough for the win for Guardiola’s side and they will progress into the fifth round of the FA Cup for the ninth-successive campaign.
There were questions whether Ake’s goal – which was the Dutchman’s third of the season in all competitions – was legitimate, with a potential foul on Vicario by Dias, before the Italian was booked for his protests.
However, VAR confirmed the original decision of referee Paul Tierney and City march on in the competition they have won seven times.
City failed to score on five previous visits to the ground, which included more than 100 shots
Guardiola was delighted to end their goal drought in north London thanks to Ake’s finish
‘Spurs are exceptional, since Mauricio Pochettino was manager. Always you think, “why are they not able to be there in the last stages of the Champions League?”‘
Ake’s goal was enough for the win for Guardiola’s side and they will progress into the fifth round of the FA Cup for the ninth-successive campaign.There were questions whether his goal – which was his third of the season in all competitions – was legitimate with a potential foul on Vicario by Ruben Dias, with the Italian booked for his protests.However, VAR confirmed the original decision of referee Paul Tierney and City march on in the competition they have won seven times.
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